Give me a break. An election is only free if the the voters are able to completely ignore the international ramifications of their choice?
Then no national election anywhere is ever free.
It depends how severe the ramifications can be and how vulnerable you are. At certain point you are not free anymore.
Here's a clue - if someone has only a subtle influence on you, that means you are actually not a slave or a prisoner.
Subtle in a sense that the gun pointed at you is hidden under a nice coat.